In the prepackaged food industry, baked products are typically sold in paperboard containers which have a tray and a hooded top. Such containers are generally erected from one-piece blanks and are popular among consumers because they are easy to open, provide a broad, top opening through which baked products may be removed or replaced, and are readily re-closed to maintain product freshness. These containers, however, have several disadvantages from a packager's perspective. For example, typical hooded containers are difficult to load with product using automated methods because loading may only be accomplished by lifting the product and setting it into the tray with the hooded top open. This is difficult to do using automated methods, is time consuming, and may result in damage to delicate baked goods. To eliminate these disadvantages for the packager yet maintain the advantages of the tray and hooded top combination for the consumer, it has been proposed to provide a container which permits packagers to horizontally load or slide the product through an end or side of the container, yet allows consumers access through a hooded top.
One example of a side-loading, top-dispensing container is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,614. The '614 patent discloses a carton which is partially assembled for horizontal loading of product through a side of the carton and is then fully assembled to provide a carton having a hooded top for access to the product. The loaded carton is fully erected by manipulation of a pair of bottom end flap tabs, a pair of end tabs, a front panel, and a closure panel. The flaps are offset to permit folding of the bottom end flap tabs without interfering with the end tabs. The closure panel is adhesively secured to the end tabs and the front panel. To open the carton from the top, the closure panel is separated from the front panel to provide a hood structure formed by the closure panel, the end tabs, a cover panel and a pair of end flaps.
Another example of a side or end-loading container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,073,501. The '501 patent discloses a hooded carton which may be shipped prior to loading in a flat configuration. In one embodiment (FIGS. 17-22) there is disclosed an erected container having a front cover panel 129 through which the product may be accessed. While the containers of the '614 and '501 patents are more easily loaded than conventional containers which are loaded through a top opening, they differ in appearance from conventional containers and are not as convenient for consumers because they do not provide as broad a top opening for accessing product as do conventional hooded containers.
A further example of a container which is loaded from the side and accessed through a hooded top utilizes a five flap end structure. This container utilizes an end construction having a leading minor flap panel, a trailing minor flap panel, an inner major flap panel having an upper corner portion of one of its ends removed, an intermediate minor flap panel dimensioned to fit within the removed portion or cutout when the container is assembled, and an outer major flap panel. The end of the container is closed by folding the leading and trailing minor flap panels inwardly so that they are in between a top and a bottom panel, folding the inner major flap panel upwardly and adhesively securing it to the leading and trailing minor flap panels, folding the intermediate minor flap panel into the removed area of the inner major flap panel such that the intermediate minor flap panel is removably positioned against the leading minor flap panel, and folding the outer major flap panel against and securing it to the intermediate minor flap panel. This carton is similar in appearance to conventional hooded containers and provides the broad, top access of conventional hooded containers while allowing product to be loaded from an end. However, it has been experienced that this container is not easily constructed by automated equipment and that this construction is only suitable for use with containers having sufficient height to allow a significant corner portion to be removed from the inner major flap panel. In shorter containers this is not possible because in removing the portion from the inner major flap panel, a substantial amount of the height of the inner major flap panel is removed from the end of the panel, leaving little material left at that end to secure to the leading minor flap panel.
Accordingly, despite the various efforts in the prior art, there remains a need for an improved container which may be used for a variety of shapes, depths, and sizes of containers, and which permits product to be loaded from an end or side of the container using automated equipment and accessed through a hooded top which provides a broad top opening.